Both GT Le Mans class Porsche 911 RSRs from the Porsche GT Team were at Daytona International Speedway on Tuesday, in addition to the GT Daytona Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 for two days of testing at the “World Center of Racing.”

The Rolex 24 At Daytona kicks off the 2019 WeatherTech Championship season on January 24-27 and takes place three weeks after the Roar Before the Rolex 24, which is a three-day, IMSA-sanctioned test for teams participating in the twice-around-the-clock event.

In the Meyer Shank Racing garage were team owner Mike Shank and full-season co-drivers Katherine Legge and Jackie Heinricher. Tuesday’s on-track activities mark the first time in the car for Heinricher, whose previous motorsports experience includes the Lamborghini Super Trofeo series.

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“After driving it, I’m being incredibly conservative,” said Heinricher. “I’m learning the car, learning its brakes, learning how to go flat in the car. I have a lot to learn, so I’m crawling before I walk and walking before I run.”

But if there’s anything Heinricher isn’t conservative about, it’s her praise for Meyer Shank Racing and her co-driver Legge, who finished runner-up in the 2018 GT Daytona (GTD) championship.

“Partnering up with Meyer Shank Racing, bringing my partner Caterpillar, I don’t know if you could have more supportive people,” she said. “I think everything they’re doing right now amounts to taking me up Everest basically. I’m just really grateful and I’m really glad to be here with Mike and this team.

“(Katherine’s) obviously one of the top, if not the top, women racers in the world right now. Having her help and having her here, she has so much experience in this car which she can relate to me is everything. I think this team, Katherine, they have a proven track record and that’s really helpful when you’re trying to condense all this learning down. I just think the world of her and I’m excited to be here.”

Meanwhile in the Porsche camp, Nick Tandy was one of the drivers making laps at the 3.56-mile circuit. Tandy is fresh off a GTLM victory at the Motul Petit Le Mans three weeks ago in the No. 911 with co-drivers Patrick Pilet and Frederic Makowiecki. He describes how the team already has shifted its focus forward.

“We’ve been to other places during the season where we test,” he said. “But this is really the first time we’re focusing on 2019 and the championship coming up ahead of us, rather than the end of season stuff where — the lead all the way up to Atlanta — you’re looking to the future, but also thinking about how you can make the car better for the upcoming round.”

Tandy also described how earlier testing this season doesn’t quite transfer over to the data that is collected at Daytona. It’s also a good chance to keep the team in sync during the offseason.

“Obviously it’s the offseason, but it’ll very quickly be time for Daytona and Round 1 of the championship,” he added. “We’ve got new tires basically in GTLM. It’s a new program for Michelin that we’re going to be using, so the main thing we’re testing is the new tires we’ll be using.

“Daytona is a very different track to a lot of other circuits we’ve tested at already, so it’s going to be very important to see what works here and see if we can trim a bit more speed out of the car. We’ve got some new people coming on board to strengthen the team as well, so it’s just a case of keeping everybody in the game and making sure we’re ready for January.”

]]>https://racer.com/2018/10/30/meyer-shank-acura-porsche-test-at-daytona/feed/1DqxRD9-UwAE2fZT.jpg largeandrewcraskSecond chassis paves way for Meyer Shank IndyCar expansionhttps://racer.com/2018/10/26/second-chassis-paves-way-for-meyer-shank-indycar-expansion/
https://racer.com/2018/10/26/second-chassis-paves-way-for-meyer-shank-indycar-expansion/#respondFri, 26 Oct 2018 12:51:55 +0000http://racer.com/?p=176668The Meyer Shank Racing team has ordered a brand-new Dallara DW12 chassis. In the short term, the Honda-powered entrant intends to save its second car for use on superspeedways and spend the coming months perfecting the fit of IndyCar’s universal aero kit for driver Jack Harvey at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“We want to expand this program to be a full-time entrant first, then go to multi-cars second,” Shank said. “We bought our second car last Friday, and we’re not expanding [to] two cars [yet], but we’re preparing for it someday.

“The car we just bought, we’re targeting using it for the [Indy] 500. That will be its first voyage. Actually, the first time it will go out will be the April test day. It will be a shakedown. We’re run our current car at the Grand Prix, and then use this car to be our Indy 500 car so we can rub on it for as long as possible.”

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The investment in a second car for MSR is an important step for the Ohio-based team. With most of IndyCar’s leading programs using dedicated superspeedway cars for its drivers that offer extra straightline speed due to the intensive work put into the body fit, Harvey should, in theory, be capable of qualifying and racing in a more competitive car.

Teams using a converted road and street race chassis that lack a perfected body fit, and some of the low-friction driveline components, have often found themselves in search of one mph or more at Indy, and with the competition Shank sees on the horizon, he believes having a superspeedway chassis will be necessary to earn a spot in the field of 33.

“I’m more worried about Bump Day than I’ve ever been, next year,” he admitted. “I think we could have another couple of cars, at the minimum, we all have to deal with, so now we’re looking at three, four, or five cars not making it, so that stresses me even more than today.

“The biggest disaster for us would be not making the Indy 500. How can we perform better the whole month? It allows us to make sure the gearbox, those uprights, those axles, the body fit, is absolutely the best we can possibly make it. The underwing — you think about how much time we put into underwing fitment. And there’s a lot to it.”

Harvey started 31st, ran in the lead pack late in the race, and settled for 16th after pitting for a splash of fuel to make it to the finish.

“We didn’t have a great qualifying performance; we had a pretty good race day, but we want to have a better qualifying and not be in jeopardy,” Shank said. “We know we need to be better, and this is the start of that.”

]]>https://racer.com/2018/10/26/second-chassis-paves-way-for-meyer-shank-indycar-expansion/feed/02018 Indy 500andrewcraskLegge 'disappointed but proud' after second place PLM and championship resulthttps://racer.com/2018/10/14/legge-disappointed-but-proud-after-second-place-plm-and-championship-result/
https://racer.com/2018/10/14/legge-disappointed-but-proud-after-second-place-plm-and-championship-result/#respondSun, 14 Oct 2018 12:55:56 +0000http://racer.com/?p=175422Like most of its rivals in the IMSA GT Daytona class (and the whole field, come to that), the Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 team had to battle through a number of setbacks through the record-setting pace at Motul Petit Le Mans. Ultimately, its No. 86 entry closed the season with a second-place finish in both the race for Alvaro Parente, Katherine Legge and Trent Hindman, and the same result for Legge in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

“I am incredibly proud of the effort that my MSR team put forth this year. I’m disappointed not to get the title, but to finish on a high note, on the podium at Petit, is no easy feat,” said Legge, who scored wins at both the Daytona and Watkins Glen endurance races this year. “Alvaro drove a great final stint and really gave it his all. Trent also did a fantastic job — he probably had the hardest job out of all of us, coming in as the endurance driver, but he really put us in great positions. This year has been really special and it gives us a good launching pad for 2019.”

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What originally started as a Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup-only race program, developed into a full-season campaign to fight for the championship title, completing every lap of every race this season – totaling 2,374 laps – and leading 202 of them. Petit closer Parente chased hard after the leading Scuderia Corsa Ferrari of Cooper MacNeil, Daniel Serra and Gunnar Jeannette in the final hour, but wound up 0.876sec back at the finish of the 10-hour event.

“That last stint was really tough and I’m a little disappointed that I couldn’t get the win for the team,” said Parente. “We had some trouble with a couple of cars in other classes which really hurt us in the end. I gave it my all, but I just wish I could have gotten the win for the guys. This year has been great and MSR and Mike (Shank) are amazing to work with and I’m glad to have had this opportunity.”

]]>https://racer.com/2018/10/14/legge-disappointed-but-proud-after-second-place-plm-and-championship-result/feed/02018 Road AtlantaandrewcraskMeyer Shank Racing aims for 10 IndyCar races in 2019https://racer.com/2018/07/27/meyer-shank-aims-for-10-indycar-races-in-2019/
https://racer.com/2018/07/27/meyer-shank-aims-for-10-indycar-races-in-2019/#respondFri, 27 Jul 2018 16:21:20 +0000http://racer.com/?p=167342The Meyer Shank Racing team expects to expand its Verizon IndyCar Series footprint next year by adding four races to its calendar.

The Ohio-based outfit committed to six events this season during its rookie campaign with Jack Harvey in the No.60 Honda, and with the anticipated jump to 10 rounds in 2019, Shank will move closer to his goal of becoming a full-time entrant.

“We’re obligated to do a minimum of six races, and our goal is to expand to 10 as securely as possible,” Shank told RACER. “We’re doing this slowly and purposefully. We’ll continue to talk with our sponsors Sirius/XM and AutoNation and should know exactly how many we’ll do in about six weeks.”

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With St. Petersburg, Long Beach, the Indy 500, Mid-Ohio, Portland, and Sonoma as the current foundation for the No.60 program, Shank has earmarked the new rounds he’d like to attend with Harvey.

“I’m stoked we’re going back to Laguna Seca, so that’s one, and I keep hearing rumors about going to Circuit of The Americas, and if we are, that’s a really good market for our sponsors,” he said. “And then Barber and probably the Indy Grand Prix, but we’re flexible.”

Having purchased a new Dallara DW12 to use this year, Shank and new team co-owner Jim Meyer are hoping to buy another to use for a specific reason.

“We have to be conservative with our dollars, but we want to buy a second car so we can have one dedicated for the Indy 500 that sits there ready and waiting,” he said. “And the other to do all the road courses. That’s what we’re trying to make happen for ourselves. A new car, with no spares and no engine, costs about 650 grand, and built out with spares, it’s 800, so you have to be smart with your budget before ringing up and ordering a new car.”

Originally scheduled as a part-time entry for the four long WeatherTech SportsCar Championship endurance events positioned next to the full-time No. 93 Acura, Legge and a rotating cast of teammates have kept MSR’s No. 86 firmly in the title hunt from Daytona onward.

A win by Legge and co-driver Mario Farnbacher at Detroit and two additional podiums have strengthened their championship aspirations, and with the GT Daytona-leading Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini team just three points ahead, keeping the No. 86 on track has become a race-by-race mission MSR’s sponsors wanted to support. With five races left to run, Legge can focus on the battles ahead instead of whether her car will remain in action.

“It’s a testament to the team’s fight and our partners’ fight to keep us out there to go for the championship,” Legge told RACER. “I’m super happy to be in this position, and we’ve been fighting just as hard to get this championship for Sirius/XM and all the sponsors that have. We didn’t know we’d be here, so it’s just on us to go out and do our very best. It’s still a long way to go to the final, though, but we’re so pleased to have this chance.”

Team co-owner Michael Shank shared in Legge’s appreciation and enthusiasm for the championship quest ahead.

“We’ve been so fortunate to have our partners stepping up and keep us going forward this year, and we are at the point of the season that we needed to make a full commitment one way or another,” said team co-owner Michael Shank.

“We are in a strong position right now in this championship so we want to keep our foot in it and go for it. It was critical to be able to manage this second entry without compromising anything else that we are doing as an organization. So I’m happy to have some of our long-time sponsors as well as some new ones help us keep pushing all the way to the end. Now that we have this confirmed we can just put our heads down and focus on the championship.”

]]>https://racer.com/2018/07/12/meyer-shank-confirms-legges-no-86-acura-for-remainder-of-2018/feed/12018 Canadian Tire Motorsport ParkraceralisonMeyer Shank reveals July 4th-themed Acura for Watkins Glenhttps://racer.com/2018/06/22/meyer-shank-reveals-july-4th-themed-acura-for-watkins-glen/
https://racer.com/2018/06/22/meyer-shank-reveals-july-4th-themed-acura-for-watkins-glen/#respondFri, 22 Jun 2018 16:08:20 +0000http://racer.com/?p=163757Meyer Shank Racing has revealed a Fourth of July-themed Acura NSX GT3 with which it will contest the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen next weekend.

The No. 93 Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 will feature its first livery change of the 2018 season, and what better time to go all out than the Fourth of July classic at Watkins Glen International.

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The Watkins Glen race has seen several teams adopt special liveries, with the MSR entries having generated some memorable looks through the years. The team’s all-American driver line-up of Lawson Aschenbach and Justin Marks will carry the nation’s colors adorning the Acura NSX GT3.

Also featured on the GTD-class machine is the Liberty Bell, featuring all of the details including the iconic crack and the Leviticus 25:10 inscription.

“I’m blown away by Watkins Glen livery for the No. 93 MSR Acura NSX GT3,” said Aschenbach. “Mike Shank has outdone himself again in creating an exciting wrap for the all-important six-hour race showcasing the red, white, and blue right before July the Fourth. As a proud American, it’s an honor to represent of the United States of America!”

]]>https://racer.com/2018/06/22/meyer-shank-reveals-july-4th-themed-acura-for-watkins-glen/feed/0d9581a60-852b-401b-8c26-46fba2e24ad8andrewcraskMeyer Shank adds second car for Detroithttps://racer.com/2018/05/30/meyer-shank-adds-second-car-for-detroit/
https://racer.com/2018/05/30/meyer-shank-adds-second-car-for-detroit/#respondWed, 30 May 2018 22:38:17 +0000http://racer.com/?p=161061On the heels of its 16th-place showing in the 102nd Indianapolis 500 aboard the Honda of Jack Harvey, automotive retailer AutoNation is expanding its relationship with Meyer Shank Racing, joining its IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship effort starting with this weekend’s Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear and allowing the team to bring both cars to Belle Isle.

MSR won the 2017 race on the streets of Belle Isle to give Acura its first-ever victory with the Acura NSX GT3, and currently holds second in the team championship standings.

The No.86 Acura was set to focus solely on the endurance events, but has been able to compete at Mid-Ohio — where they finished second in class — and now Detroit with help from sponsors.

“It is really gratifying to have the partners that we have, and I’m thrilled to have AutoNation grow its involvement to be a part of our IMSA program,” said team co-owner Michael Shank. “The Acura NSX has been really strong this year and of course we’ve got a great record with the car in Detroit so hopefully we can get back to the podium there on Saturday with AutoNation.”

The No.86 Acura NSX GT3 will be driven by defending race winner Katherine Legge and Mario Farnbacher, who is substituting for Alvaro Parente while he takes part in the Blancpain GT series race at Paul Ricard. Lawson Aschenbach and Justin Marks will pilot the No.93 entry.

Both team entries will carry AutoNation’s “Drive Pink” branding initiative to “drive out cancer.”

“We are thrilled to grow our support of Meyer Shank Racing by teaming up for the IMSA Championship,” said Marc Cannon, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of AutoNation, which has raised over $14 million to fund cancer-related causes.